assassins bullet in dallas. police are allowing pedestrians to walk in front of the white house but not to congregate there. crowds contain the outside the white house, and to surround the white house on all sides. traffic is moving normally and there are no other changes. we are also told that an assistant to vice president lyndon johnson has also arrived at the white house, torch -- george reedy. there is not a lot of word coming from the white house press office. pressrst word was that a officer was asking to enter. the mood there was one of utter shock, utter disbelief. the press house come at the

white house press office is jammed with reporters waiting for some bits of information, waiting for any kind of word on what is going to happen next. to repeat, most of the news from here is being received from dallas. there's no late information on what the next the elements will be. -- developments will be. the crowd is still gathering outside the front of the white house. across pennsylvania avenue. the weather in washington is great, rather than seasonably warm. like chill in the air. beple here as people must all over the country, walking around with looks of stunned this belief on their faces. this is richard from larry anna

valeriani at the white house. >> very goldwater, the man who goldwater, they man who is regarded as the person to oppose president kennedy in election next year, has issued a statement in which he says it most shocking and dreadful that a thing like this could happen in a free country. the president's debt is a fountain loss -- is a profound loss to the nation. mrs. goldwater and i offer our sympathy to mrs. kennedy and the president's family. make remarksto tomorrow night in grand rapids. you are fixed of feeling prevalent on both sides of the aisle in congress, the great personal bereavement, feeling of

loss and shock. night of theto the when lyndonn 1960 johnson accepted the nomination. governor john conley was then the floor manager for lyndon johnson, and was the man always the closest assistant in all his political campaigns, that is governor connally of texas who lies wooded in a hospital in dallas. at 2:00 in the morning, when johnsons much talk that would be offered the vice presidential nomination, john connolly told me he was positive he would never accept it. i had talked to sam rayburn who said that linden johnson would never accept -- lyndon johnson would never accept the vice presidency, would never give up the senate majority leader. i bet john, lee then that the viceould accept

president nomination. at 2:00, john connolly made that point that it was positive that he would not accept. this is the way that history is made. had lyndon johnson not accepted, he of course would not be president of united states today. no one could ever have believed or dreamed that a president so young would not conclude his term of office and that death would interrupt. there is little else to report here in washington, just the general reactions. a bulletin has just come in from dallas. a sniper armed with a high- powered rifle murdered president kennedy today. kennedy posta,r lyndon johnson has taken the oath of office as the 37th president of the united states. it is president lyndon johnson , 55 years old, the new

president of united states. now back to new york. details on the swearing in of lyndon johnson. the oath was administered in dallas at 1:38 central standard time, roughly an hour and 20 minutes ago, by a federal district judge him a sarah t. hughes. president johnson took the oath of board up residential plane at love field in dallas as he prepared to fly to washington to take over the presidency. this is the oath that was administered to mr. johnson. i solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states and will do the best of my ability to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. that is all we know about lyndon johnson being sworn in. -- kennedy's art assessor

predecessor general eisenhower has issued a statement. i share the sense of stock -- shock and dismay that americans feel into the specific dish in the despicable act that resulted in the death of the united states. we express our personal grief and prayerful concern to mrs. kennedy and all other members of the family. the statement issued on half of general eisenhower here in new york this afternoon. frank? moscow radio is playing pure music after announcing that that the president kennedy, an alto moments in the russian capital are described as being aghast. wasambassador to russia told of the news and his response was to say it is terrible. reports -- and this is moscow radio -- that extreme right wing elements were believed responsible for the assassination. news of the death was immediately passed on to the top soviet figures.

no reaction directly from the kremlin was expected until tomorrow. russian television broke into its programming to announce the assassination. and the soviet news agency reported from new york that an attempt was made on his life by persons believed to be among extreme right-wing elements. later they were informed that the president was dead. thought to think of the two children in the white house, the son and the young daughter, and we can only assume that they have been informed. regardless of what one they have thought of the kennedys as a political institution, they were regarded as being vivacious and final people who were quite alive. the situation at the moment is that resident john f. kennedy is dead. his body is believed to be en route back to washington. it is expected to arrive at

andrews at 5:30 eastern standard type, an hour and a half from now. the new president johnson has been sworn in by a federal judge in dallas and is remaining for the moment in dallas. the president's brother, senator ted kennedy, and a sister, the wife of sergeant shriver, are on their way to massachusetts. the family comes from boston. it is assumed they are going there to be with the parents of the present. the last we have on mrs. kennedy when she was at the hospital where the president died. she is not at the hospital now, but we should respect her privacy. mrs. johnson is no doubt with the new president johnson. >> for the last few hours, we have been green you that november 22, 19 63, news coverage from nbc. part of our coverage of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of president john f. kennedy. a live look at the kennedy gravesite, the eternal flame in

our little -- in arlington, across from the nation's capital. we will take you live to dallas in a sort -- a short bit. it is scheduled to start at 12:30 eastern. we will have that live. afternoon we will bring you this germany from the john f. kennedy memorial library in boston. the library and museum. as well we will give you the opportunity to weigh in with your thoughts by twitter them on the phone, all of that coming up just a bit later on here on c- span. the funeral was held three days after the assassination, november 25, 1963 them and among the dignitaries that attended that sermon included prince philip of the united kingdom, charles de gaulle of france, the president of france, and the emperor haile selassie of ethiopia.

f kennedy, one of only two presidents buried at arlington, and you are looking at the gravesite in arlington while we wait for the ceremony in dallas.laza we are waiting for that to get underway. we thought we would take a few moments to hear from you on the 50th anniversary of the president's assassination. you can join us at these numbers. we will also read some of your tweets. we'll get to your phone calls in just a moment and take you live to dallas once that event gets

underway. it had been set to start at 12:30 eastern, so they are running a few minutes late. we are reading some of your comments on facebook. mary mcdonald says 30 years ago i was 17 years old, a high school senior, and my last class of the day -- again, we will be covering events related to the 50th anniversary. dallas is next, and they get underway, set to start at 12:30. we will take you there live when it starts. we will show you the events at the john f. kennedy library in boston, which will come up sometime in the 2:00 eastern heart. afternoon.good

caller: good afternoon. even though i was not born yet, my mother was expecting me. you are on the air. go ahead with your comments. i think we may have lost catherine. do call back if you want to. the numbers are on the screen. anthony is in los angeles. caller: hi. i remember when i was a child, i is only 2 1/2 years old, and was standing with my mom and father, and i was a little child, so i do not know what was going on. andother fell to her knees both parents started weeping uncontrollably. it was not until years later with what had happened, and it they said the president was shot and killed. host: did your parents ever talk about that after they saved a

scrapbook of some of the headlines and things like that afterward? somber andy were quiet about it, and it was a wasry from a child, when i a child. i finally asked them, put two and two together, and my mother started crying again. host: in your own life, what are those moments where you cannot forget where you were, 9/11 for a lot of people? is that the top of your list? caller: exactly, those are definitely moments that are in my psyche and will be with me the rest of my life. host: let's go to ohio, this is russell. caller: hi. i was born six days before kennedy was assassinated, and i remembered, and just wanted to say that i have been intrigued by president kennedy and all through my life and is hope, his

attitude, and positive outlook on life and the way he still had a firmness, standing up to other , when khrushchev and those types of people -- though he was a good, positive resident, he was still a firm president, two, and it is a very sad today, and i thank you. host: at arlington we are seeing naval officers offering a salute to john kennedy. a naval officer himself, commanded a pt boat during world war ii. here is john in lansing, michigan. caller: hello. myas actually taking physical, taking her physical at fort wayne, detroit, the day he was killed for the army. he went in in december. i went in in january. we got our physical that they,

and i walked across to a bar to wait for him to go to the army, and when i walked in, they said the president had been shot, and then my friend came over and we both ended up serving three years in the army after that. we had both wanted to serve for him, and it was a big shock. has not think this country ever recovered than that. i think it has gone down hill ever since. host: did you serve in vietnam? whatr: i will tell you happened. i ended up in fort riley, kansas, the first infantry division, 1965 him and i got , ands to go to germany that was in april of 1965, and the whole division went to vietnam in july of 1965. so i guess i was -- i guess i -- by out, by going it

missing it for a couple of months. i do know, in those days we had a lot of trouble with the east germans and russians, and if they had come across there, and i felt guilty i missed it, but it was not my fault. i was in the first infantry division, probably one of the irst full armor divisions to go in. >> the chancellor of west germany was one of the foreign dignitaries attending the funeral on november 25, 1962. let's go to seattle and richard is calling. they're waiting to go live to dallas. hello. caller: hello, how are you? host: fine, thank you. caller: it is a solemn day for me because i remember being an african-american kid in south central texas and had the chance to shake that hand of the president when he was running

for office. , in elementaryer school, the eighth grade at that catholic school, we got the news that the president has been shot. the whole school filed out and we went next door to the church, and we all were praise and -- praying for the president tossed recovered from the priest tells us that the president has expired. was our dad.e he was an athlete. he was the first president that was considered a president for minorities. most people do not realize that. was one that reached out us and said, yes, we are going to make it a better country for you compared to what has happened you in the past, and that is how we refer to him and are there

with him with his family all throughout this year. i just want to say on this day, 50 years ago, a community was just in utter shock, and i heard a caller say it -- we have not recovered from this yet, and believe me, believe me, we have not. there are still answers that need to be answered, questions that need to be answered at and it goes on and on. today i would have hoped that we could put those aside and give the respect to this president that we need to get that perspective. thank u so much for taking my call, and try to have a blessed day today. host: a similar sentiment, richard from seattle, a tweet from him -- here is new jersey, dave, welcome. caller: hi, this is dave. 41, soways -- i am only

i was not alive at the time, but jfk is basically my biggest hero exit my father. when i studied history, basically, the things that i read about them especially the the cuban missile crisis, and my parents tell me about that time in life, it was really just amazing that what he did, and if he was not there at the time, it is scary to think about what really could have happened, with everyone who was really around him pushing for him to just go he really, while wanted to work it out and take the time and find a peaceful solution. i just wish we had a man like this alive in this state an age that could aspire so many -- inspire 70 people, democrats and republicans, where you can see yesterday another example, just how separated the country is. but when you have an event like this, the 50th anniversary of the best president in my

personal opinion, getting murdered, it just rings people agether, and it is just reminder of what a great country america is and how much we really miss these leaders that we had in the 1960's. reach onomment from a twitter. commenting earlier on some of us reairing the nbc news coverage. she tweets, this is a nice described -- distraction. we are waiting to take you live to the ceremony at the lee plans a batch at dealey plaza. austin, texas, hello, welcome. yes.r: school,senior in high and i was in a typing class when another person that was outside burst and into the room and yelled out, the president has been shot. and our teacher was shocked that she ran her off, and all of us

were just so shocked. we kept saying, what did she say? a few minutes later the announcement came on that the president had been shot, and of course we are all just shocked. we were supposed to have a parade in austin, texas, because he was supposed to come to austin him and all the schools were going to be led out early because -- let out early so we could attend. i was excited because i was going to be right out there because i had wanted to see him. i had never seen him in person. when that happened, all the schools were left out and we all went home and it was just shocking to everyone, and that evening we all went to church, her family went to church, and we prayed for him about that it was just something that you could never forget, and you would never forget where you were when that announcement came on the television or in my case through the announcements at

school. host: this is the kennedy gravesite at arlington national cemetery. the eternal flame had recently been rehabilitated and restored. we have been showing you live pictures throughout the day. we wait to take it live to dallas and the ceremony at dealey plaza. we have been showing you video from november 25, and some of the members, the pallbearers and the funeral cortège, the funeral. guard duty officers and others are featured in a "new york times" front page today. photo of the president's cap lying in state that capitol rotunda. howard is in california. good afternoon, or good morning. caller: good morning.

thank you for taking my call. i even remember i was seven the west that morning, coast here, and we got the news over the intercom system in our school classroom. and it was definitely a tragic day for me because i had an opportunity to write an essay for a school project on the president. toas lucky to be selected write an essay on jeffk, and i did a lot of my writing and research on the speech he made on tv. people after a member, this was our first tv age president, and that is what i think we are so gluedto this -- so to this residency. he was telogen. he asked what we could do for

our country and the call to service. civil rights. the handling and the learning -- his ability to learn so quickly andhe job after the debacle learning how to get us out of this situation with the missile crisis. what grade are you in and what was this paper about? we had to write about each of the presidents. basically outlining what he had accomplished and what he was asking us to do. it's so sad we lost such a talent. he was blessed with all the gifts. he just wasn't blessed with the

years. >> thank you for your call. viewers,r to all our we have our american presidents series we did back in 1990 nine, it is available on our website. at the bottom of the page, -- in 1999. it is available on our website. , hello.fairfield caller: good afternoon. i would like to share my story about that day. caller, i wasous also seven years old in school. principal who came over the intercom and made the announcement. down -- mywrote teacher broke down uncontrollably. all of the faculty and all of the adults were very somber.

when ie bus driver -- got home my mother was sitting on the couch, glued to the tv. i knew something terrible had happened but i had no idea what an impact that would still have the united states 50 years later. >> thank you for your call. we are waiting to take you live to dallas for this ceremony at the lee plaza. the weather is an issue there. a gray and nasty day. a headline on the website says the ceremony will go on, despite data weather threats. a recent photo within the last hour there. we are waiting to take you live and we will take you live once that signal comes up from dallas and the program gets underway. alice is in hot springs, california.

go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i was just an infant when the president was taken from us. family -- she was always highly respected. we have a picture -- even today my mom has a picture of the president and his wife jackie. it is hard to believe it has been 50 years. whenever i think of the president i think of that. >> what made him such an iconic figure for your parents? >> that is a really good question. my mom looked up to him very highly.

she is catholic and of course he is had -- he is catholic. they were about the same age. they connected with the hope and imagination. assumeyoungest man to the presidency, he was 46 when he died. colorado springs is next. i live in colorado springs. i was walking across the street and a friend of mine asked if i heard that president kennedy was shot. not -- i cannot believe it. there was anger. i felt helpless, almost hopeless.

this information probably came late. the news is never what it was today. >> was at eight days later or 12 hours? >> i believe it was 20 -- the 23rd around 1 p.m.. i know the french people took it very hard. in my case, i'm a catholic. many catholics could relate with john f. kennedy. the year before that he went to mexico city and the people just loved him. your call.u for let us hear from joseph in castle rock colorado. >> good morning. . was five and a half years old

i just have a quick legacy comment. one characteristic of john f. what he said as -- he did everything he could to minimize or eliminate conflict, either on a national, orsonal, even international level. if there is one legacy we could -- our problems are man made. todaynflict that exists a model forhave set how conflict should be resolved.

more of your calls in just a bit. we will take you live to dallas where the ceremony is about to get underway in the lee plaza. -- in the leap lazo. dealey plaza. >> we will go to alice live once that ceremony gets underway. there is a preview video playing right now. let's hear from a couple more collars. joe was in minnesota. go ahead. i was living in culver city, california at the time.

we were allowed to have headphones to hear our radio. all of a sudden president kennedy was shot. i kind of screamed and could not imagine what was going on. i asked why he was such a good president or good person. he was a family man. picture, ihat has a still have mine hanging on my wall, my picture of president kennedy. i used to have it on my end table. i still have it hanging there. >> thank you for sharing your memory. here is james in alabama.

make sure you turn your television down there. go ahead with your comment. i think we lost him. we are going to take you to dallas for the ceremony is about to get underway. at arlington international cemetery, looking at the dallas news coverage. this is the headline on one of the news pages this afternoon. hundreds gather in chile -- in a chilly plaza. is about to get underway. we will take you live when it starts. mary is next. >> i worked for john kennedy. i was 33 years old when he was shot. he was a war hero. he carried a man with his pt boat crash.

he pulled that young man to sure. i worked so hard for him. there was so much he could treat against him. they talked terrible about him. i could not see what religion had do with it. my own family would not speak to me for three years because of the fact i worked so hard for him. he was a great man and had great potential. i really feel bad. i remember all of this. my husband --

host: -- >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, the united states naval academy glee club under the direction of dr. aaron smith.

>> these welcome our distinguished guests to the stage, led by the chairman of the 50th commemorative committee for the city of dallas, mrs. ruth collins. reverend bishop, kevin j farrell of the diocese of dallas. the mayor of dallas, the honorable mike rawlins. david mccullough. and pastor emeritus of the saint luke's trinity united methodist

church, sam w holmes junior. thank you. and now we ask you to please rise for the presentation of the colors by -- of the the dallas police honor guard.

please remain standing for the national anthem, performed by monica saldivar. ["national anthem"]

whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare. airbombs bursting in gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. that star spangled waver yet freethe land of the brave ♪ me of the

>> please be seated. today's invocation is presented by kevin chain -- by the catholic diocese of dallas. >> almighty and ever faithful god, today we lift up our minds and hearts to you because you have lifted us up from the horrible tragedy enacted in this place, from the cruel suffering that was born on this hill. from the shock and horror that gripped our nation and from the

years when we as citizens of this city suffered and were implicated by the guns shot by one man that killed a president in who many of us have set our hopes and dreams for a eder america. inspiration, and active presence among us that forward, despite the temptation only to lament and to be paralyzed by our grief. sorrow into a .irm commitment to move forward you turned our grief into a toolve to refashion our city a place where life flourishes and true love of balance. to aurned our devastation commitment to rebuild the city of god, a city where all are

welcome, nurtured, and care for. we rejoice with gratitude in all that you have caused to happen here in a place which was andraced, scorned, ruthlessly judged by ourselves and others. may you, heavenly father, continue to sustain us as we celebrate that the phoenix has risen from the ashes of file that hatred can be turned to harmony. ignorance can seated to understanding. prejudices can lead to openness. make us instruments of your piece and bearers of divine justice that always tempers instinct with mercy, that changes what appears to be defeat to the reality fed by providence that all will be well.

may you walk always with us and may you inspire us as you once inspired john fitzgerald kennedy to dream of a world that never was and to say, why not? may god bless the united states of america. >> and now, please will come the mayor of dallas, the honorable mike rawlins. >> a new era dawned and another waned a half a century ago. hope and hatred collided right here in dallas. we watched the nightmarish

reality that in our front yard our president had been taken from us, taken from his family, taken from the world. life and his death seemed mythologically to usher in the next 50 years. what ensued was five decades filled with other tragedies, turmoil, and great triumphs. , ourre all very young lives and dreams in front of us. young as well, barely a century old. and we all felt invincible. it seems we all grew up that day, city and citizens. up toly we had to step try and live up to the

challenges and words and vision of a beloved president. our collective hearts were broken, like so many of us who were too young to fully comprehend, i remember being called into the school gymnasium , hearing the terrible news and told to go home. leaders at the trademarked lunch awaited a president who would never arrive. crowds outside of parkland hospital, traffic stops in cities across the country as news spread from car to car. andworld grieved with us newspapers reported the flags were lowered to half staff around the globe. germans on both sides of the berlin wall -- berlin wall placed lit candles in their windows. in eight-year-old nigerian girl recited the entire inaugural

occur -- inaugural address from memory as her father wept just like the skies today. the past is never in the past. this was a lifetime ago. dallasthe people of honor the life, legacy, and the leadership of the man who called us to think not of our own interests but that of our country's. thanks for his life and his service. we offer condolences to his family, especially his daughter caroline on this difficult day. tribute to an idealist without illusions who helped build a more just and equal world. commander in chief who stared down a nuclear threat to this country.

we praise the rider who profiled through courage and modeled it himself. we applaud a visionary who created a core of young americans to promote peace around the globe. we stand in on of a dream or who challenged us to literally reach for the moon, though the -- though he himself would not live to see us achieve that goal. other goals were even tougher, and taken longer to reach, we still struggled towards some even as we speak. we are fortified by the knowledge that we always have big goals and big aspirations in this city. set by our founding fathers like john neely bryan and george steely, the namesake of this plot.

-- this plaza. these five decades have seen us turn civic heart break into hard work. they have seen us go from youthful invincibility to vulnerability to greater maturity as a city and a community. on the one-year anniversary of the assassination of the late -- one of our city's greatest spiritual leaders, gave voice to dallas's communal pain. then, contrary to the impassioned judgment of that horrible moment, the city is not but in thosecrime days following the assassination, the powerful

searchlight man possesses would focus on this city. flaw, every raw spot, every wrinkle, and every uncleanness was put under a microscope and shown to the world. palaces andrich told hall -- and tall towers of commerce were amidst slums and hovels. inhospitablebeen to honorable debate. the rabbi capture the heart break the city felt. that the feelings that were laid bare before the entire world. most important, he called for dallas to use this tragedy to seek a true transformation. look around today. i believe we have heeded that call.

the people of this city have been filled with a sense of industry or not tragedy. driven to improve the substance of dallas, not just the image of it. today, because of the hard work of many people, dallas is a different city. i believe the new frontier did not and that day on our texas frontier. president that kennedy would be pleased with our humble efforts toward fulfilling our country's highest calling, that of providing the citizens tofor all exercise those inalienable rights. -- we and our city will forever be tragedy.

but out of that tragedy and opportunity was granted to us, the chance to learn how to face the future when it is at its darkest and the most uncertain. torch, even when the flame flickers and threatens to go out. at the people of dallas and then, each of us will meet our oncoming challenges head on with courage honoring but not living in the past. and never flinching from the truth. we will meet the future with the same vigor, optimism and unfailing sense of duty that our young president embodied. president kennedy wrought us that message. pocket, down that street,

on november 22, 1963. that message was to be delivered a few miles away to dallas leaders following this parade. it was a speech he never got to make. those unspoken words resonate far beyond the life of a man to commemorate that day and those words. are unveiling a memorial right here in this historic plaza. with the lastd lines of his undelivered speech and will serve as a reminder and permanent monument to president kennedy's memory. i leave you with those resonant generatione in this

on, by destiny than watchmen the walls of world freedom. we ask that we may be worthy of our power and our responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint. , and that we may achieve in our time, and for all time, the ancient vision of peace on earth , goodwill toward men, that must always be our goal. and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. , exceptritten long ago the lord, keep the city. the watchmen wait in vain. would you join me in a moment of

ofence in honor of the life john fitzgerald kennedy? america, america, god shed

his grace on me. -- o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. majestyle mountains above the fruited plains. america, god shed his and ground thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea. --autiful for

may god thyrica and every day divine -- and every gain divine. ♪ [video clip]

ladies and gentlemen, mr. david mccullough. >> he spoke to us and that now destined time passed. was with vitality and a sense of purpose such as we had never heard before. he was young to be president, but it did not seem so if you were younger still. he was ambitious to make it a better world and so were we. let the world go forth, he said, that the torch is passed to a new generation of americans. it was an exciting time. that needed tol

be done, of so much that needed -- of equal opportunity, of education, the light of the mind and the spirit. service to one's country and the courage to move forward into the future. the cause of peace on earth. his was the inspiring summons to to hard work and worthy accomplishment, a summons we long for. he was an optimist and he said so. nothing, no sidestepping reality and what he said. no resorting to scale old platitudes. old platitudes. he knew words mattered.

his words changed lives. they changed history. has a commander in chief address the nation with such command of language. now,that he said applies no less than half a century ago, and will continue to be taken to heart far into the future. gone, but not forgotten, is the old expression for departed heroes. if not forgotten, they are not gone. especially, and that this place, let us listen to some of what john f. kennedy said. frontier of which i speak is not a set of promises, it is a set of challenges.

it sums up not what i intend to offer the american people, but what i intend to ask them. this nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. it was founded on the principle that all men are created equal. the rights of every man are diminished, when the rights of one man are threatened. the heart of the question is -- whether we are going to treat our fellow americans as we want to be treated. we must educate our children as our most valuable resource. we must have trained people, many trained people, their finest talents brought to the keenest edge. we must not only have scientists, mathematicians, technicians, we must have people

skilled in the humanities. i look forward to an america which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft. an americaard to which commands respect throughout the world for its strength and for its civilization. bes country cannot afford to materially rich and spiritually poor. unifiying andat humanizing experience. far from being a distraction -- a distraction in the nation, it is close to the center of a nation's purpose. quality of aof the nation's civilization. i am certain after the dust of

centuries has passed over us, remembered, not for our victories or defeat in battle, but for our contributions to the human spirit. poetry politicians new and more poets new politics, i am convinced the world would be a little better place to live. leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. when power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. when power corrupts, poetry cleanses. for art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.

together, let us explore the stars. conquer the deserts. eradicate disease. cap the ocean depths. before us made sure that the country road the first ways of the industrial revolution. the first waves of modern invention, the first waves of , and thiswer generation does not intend to flounder in the backwash of the coming age of space. we mean to be part of it. we set sail on this new sea because there is to be new knowledge gained and new rights to be won. they must be used for the

progress of all people. but why? goal?oose this as our we choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. is one that challenge that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone. it is one we intend to win. of a peaceful world is our guide for the president and our vision for the future. the quests is the greatest adventure of our century. sometimes chafe at the burden

of our obligations, the complexion of our decisions. there is no comfort or security innovation. -- in eve asian. asion. the world cannot be possibly solved by skeptics or synnex. -- cynics. we need men who can dream of things that never were and ask why not. those things that we talk about today which seem unreal, where so many people doubt that they can be done, the fact of the matter is, it has been true throughout our history. they will be done.

john kennedy's words are fired with his love of life. his love of his country and its history. history, he wrote history. he understood that history was not just about times past. it was also about those who populate the present. each new generation, as he liked and that we too will be judged by history. we owe it to those who went follow toose who will measure up, and even surpass the achievements of the past with what we accomplish. he also knew from his reading little ofence, very consequence is ever accomplished ,lone, but by joint effort

america has been a joint effort all down the years. we must continue in that spirit. as he himself said, for i can ensure you, we love our country, not for what it was, though it has always been great. not for what it is, though of this we are deeply proud. but what it someday can, and through the efforts of all, someday will be. as his campaign song said, he had high hopes and so do we. and on we go. [applause]

♪ mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord. -- s

his truth is marching on. glory, glory, hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. his truth is marching on. i have seen him in the watch- fires of a hundred circling camps, they have builded him an

evening dues and dance. i can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps. on.truth is marching glory, glory hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. his truth is marching on. in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea.

his bosom that transfigures you and me. died to make men holy, let free. to make men while god is marching on. glory, glory, hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. glory, glory, hallelujah. his truth is marching on.

amen. amen. ♪ [applause] >> our closing prayer will be delivered by pastor emeritus. >> let us pray. hope in ages past and forthars to come, send us to claim the brand-new future that you continue to offer us beyond our tragedies and our triumphs. forth, grant that we we have been all

or what we have done, but where we are going and what is possible by your grace for us to which a beloved community celebrates and affirms our unity in the midst of our god-given diversity. in the challenging words of a franciscan benediction, may god bless -- bless us with discomfort and eat uneasy , so that wef-truths may live deep within our hearts. may god bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exportation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace for all. tears toless us with shed for those who suffer from

pain, rejection, starvation, and war. so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. may god bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this togetherthat we can do what others claim cannot be done. in this season of thanksgiving, we ask these blessings in the name of the one god who created us all for the sake of a beloved community and in thanksgiving to for the inspiring and courageous life and legacy of president john fitzgerald kennedy, on men. amen.

amen. >> please stand as we retire the colors. ♪

♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our program. we thank you for your attendance. >> 50 years to pretty much the hour that president kennedy was assassinated in dallas. the ceremony wraps up. we are looking live at the eternal flame at the kennedy gravesite. on c-spanverage here of the events surrounding the 50th anniversary of the assassination. we plan to take you to boston, where an event is underway at the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum. it will feature a number of speakers and performers, including james taylor.

that is set to come up in just a bit. we will also open up our phone lines and more in the coming hours, here on c-span.